ESG beyond the boardroom: Every word matters

ESG is often discussed in terms of frameworks, targets, policies, and disclosures.

But sustainability doesn’t live exclusively in annual reports or boardroom presentations.

It also lives in the words an organization chooses.

A sustainability report can contain hundreds of pages of data and still leave readers wondering what the organization actually means. A website can proudly announce a commitment to sustainability without providing much evidence to support it. A corporate statement can discuss stakeholders while using language that nobody outside the organization understands.

These aren’t simply issues of style.

They are problems of communication.

And when you’re communicating about something as consequential as sustainability, communication matters.

Say what you mean

Sustainability language can become remarkably vague.

Committed to a sustainable future.

Driving positive change.

Creating shared value.

Building a better world.

None of these statements are necessarily false. The problem is that they don’t tell us very much.

Good sustainability communication goes further.

What are you actually doing? Why are you doing it? What has changed? What hasn’t? What evidence supports the claim?

Specificity gives readers something to work with.

Instead of telling people that you are committed to reducing your environmental impact, explain what you’re doing and, where possible, quantify the result.

Instead of saying that employees are valued, explain how.

Instead of describing a supply chain as responsible, show what responsibility means in practice.

The more consequential the claim, the more important the evidence.

Don’t make the reader do the work

Sustainability information is often complicated enough without making it harder to understand.

Reports are often dense. Acronyms multiply. Technical language creeps in. Important information gets buried beneath layers of corporate phrasing.

This is where good editing matters.

Editing isn’t about making a document sound more sophisticated. Often, it’s about removing the things that get in the way of understanding.

Can this sentence be shorter?

Does the reader need this piece of jargon?

Is this idea explained clearly enough?

Could the most important information be easier to find?

Is this paragraph actually saying anything?

These questions may sound simple, but they can transform a document.

Clarity isn’t the enemy of complexity. It’s how we make complexity manageable.

Think about who is reading

The person reading your sustainability communication may not be a sustainability professional.

They may be an investor, customer, employee, journalist, community member, supplier, or member of the public. They may be familiar with some aspects of ESG and completely unfamiliar with others.

They may also read differently from you.

Some people scan. Some read every word. Some are reading in a second language. Some processes dense information differently. Some have very little time.

Writing that respects those differences is more inclusive.

Clear headings, logical structure, straightforward language and well-organized information aren’t merely design considerations. They’re ways of helping people access the meaning of what you’re saying.

Don’t let sustainability become a performance

There is a particular danger in sustainability communication: saying what sounds right rather than communicating what is true.

This is where greenwashing can begin.

But misleading communication isn’t always the result of deliberate deception. Sometimes it’s the result of vague language, selective information, or an understandable desire to present an organization in the best possible light.

Good editing can help challenge that tendency.

What does this claim actually mean?

Could a reader interpret it differently from how we intend?

Are we talking about an ambition or an achievement?

Are we acknowledging limitations as well as successes?

Is there evidence behind the statement?

These questions don’t weaken sustainability communication.

They make it more credible.

The social side of language

ESG isn’t only about carbon emissions and governance structures. The social dimension matters too — and language shapes how organizations communicate about people.

Who is included in your language?

Who is being spoken about, and who is being spoken to?

Are stereotypes being repeated without thought?

Are people described with dignity and accuracy?

Are communities presented as partners with agency, or simply as beneficiaries of corporate activity?

These details matter because communication reflects how an organization understands the people connected to its work.

Inclusive language isn’t about finding the perfect set of approved words.

It’s about paying attention.

Consistency builds trust

Trust is rarely created by one impressive statement.

It’s built through consistency.

If an entity’s website says one thing, its sustainability report says another, and its corporate communications use an entirely different tone, readers may notice the disconnect.

A clear editorial approach can help.

That might include agreed terminology, a consistent tone of voice, guidance on sustainability claims, and principles for writing about people and communities.

The aim isn’t to make every piece of communication sound identical.

It’s to ensure that the same organization is recognizable in everything it says.

Every word is part of the story

We often think of sustainability communication as something that happens after the sustainability work itself.

First, you do the work. Then you write the report.

But the communication is part of the work.

A company’s understanding of sustainability is reflected in what it chooses to emphasize, what it leaves out, how it describes progress, and how honestly it talks about challenges.

Words don’t merely report the sustainability story.

They help shape how that story is understood.

That’s why every word matters.

Not because every sentence needs to be perfect.

But good sustainability communication should do more than make an organization sound responsible.

It should help people understand what responsibility actually looks like.

And sometimes, the most sustainable thing you can do with your words is to use fewer of them — more carefully.

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Every word shapes your sustainability story. Let’s make sure yours are saying what you mean.